The problem of eating too much salt can increase your risk of developing high
blood pressure. High blood pressure is linked to heart disease and strokes. By
reducing your salt intake it is possible to reduce your blood pressure and
your risk of developing heart problems, so it's well worth doing.
A lot of foods are not obviously salty, but do contain high amounts of
'hidden salt'. It's easier to make healthier food choices if you are able to
quickly check the salt content on food labels. How Much? The average salt
intake is currently 9.5g a day (about 2 teaspoons), we should be having much
less than this - the recommended intake is just 6g a day.
Salt in our diet comes from salt used in cooking, salt added at the
table and salt added to processed foods. Surprisingly, about 75% of
the salt we eat is already added to the food we buy. Reducing your intake
of salty processed foods is an important part of a healthy diet.
Salt Sums Salt is sodium chloride, and as food labels often list both
salt and sodium content - it can be confusing. To convert salt to sodium -
divide by 2.5 To convert sodium to salt - multiply by 2.5 For example: 1g salt
= 0.4g sodium 0.8g sodium = 2g salt So What Can You Eat?
Fresh meat, fish, eggs, beans and lentils fruit and vegetables -
including fresh, frozen, tinned without salt and juices. Cereals including
rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, breakfast cereals and unsalted crackers. Milk,
yoghurt, soft white cheese [and small amounts of 'hard' cheese] Fresh herbs,
spices, pepper, vinegar, mustard, tomato puree
Let’s be Practical
being realistic we all eat some processed or convenience foods most
days. Choose lower salt options using the following guidelines:
For ready meals and sandwiches - choose meals with under 0.5g sodium per
meal, that's 1.25g salt For individual foods - soups, sauces, vegetables -
choose foods with under 0.3g sodium per serving, that's 0.75g salt.
Be Salt Aware Use
A little salt in cooking. Try not to add extra salt at table. Cut
right down on salty processed foods and ready meals. Check out food labels for
salt and go for lower salt choices. [If you have high blood pressure, being
active, keeping a healthy weight, not drinking too much alcohol and regular
check ups are also important.] .
Try to limit your intake of these salty foods to 1 serving a day.
If you wish to use a purer form of salt why not try
our Himalayan Table Salt
Just click on the link below